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Almost 220,000 coronavirus vaccinations have been administered in Ireland, according to the HSE<\/p>\nAlmost 220,000 coronavirus vaccinations have been administered in Ireland, according to the HSE<\/p>\n
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said 51,200 vaccinations were given last week.<\/p>\n
To date, 219,200 jabs have been administered.<\/p>\n
This includes some 152,000 first doses and 67,000 second doses.<\/p>\n
Mr Reid said some 86,000 vaccinations have been given to people in long-term care facilities, including 12,000 people who have received two doses.<\/p>\n
A total of 130,000 vaccinations have been administered to frontline healthcare staff, including 55,000 who have received both doses.<\/p>\n
Next week, the HSE plans to administer about 29,000 vaccines \u2013 9,000 jabs in long-term care facilities, 15,000 to frontline healthcare workers and 5,000 to GPs.<\/p>\n
Mr Reid said the HSE is currently in the process of readjusting its vaccination plan due to the Government\u2019s decision that people aged 70 and over should not be given the Astra Zeneca vaccine where possible.<\/p>\n
Instead this cohort should only receive mRNA vaccines \u2013 from Pfizer\/BioNTech or Moderna.<\/p>\n
It means the AstraZeneca vaccine will now be given to healthcare workers and vulnerable people under the age of 70.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does not throw our plan completely in the air,\u201d Mr Reid told the HSE briefing on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
He said the HSE is still aiming to roll out coronavirus vaccines to the over 70s by the end of March as originally envisioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur intention is to do it in the timeframe we committed originally, however it will be extremely challenging but we wouldn\u2019t want it to drift much further,\u201d Mr Reid said.<\/p>\n
The over 85s are set to start receiving the jabs from February 15th.<\/p>\n
The HSE boss said they were working through the operational changes that we would have to made to readjust the plan based on the Government\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are quite significant challenges we have to mobilize around.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the HSE would now re-engage with the Irish Medical Organization regarding the vaccination plan.<\/p>\n
They will be looking at large locations that can accommodate a number of GPs in one location so that they could handle the refrigeration and administration of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to older people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to look at locations that can accommodate multiple GPs in one location. That\u2019s to ensure effective registration processes, administration processes, vaccine and vaccine area and observation areas and most importantly refrigeration capacity to handle the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he said they always knew the first three months of the year would be a \u201cbumpy road\u201d filled with \u201cunpredictability and uncertainty\u201d as vaccine supplies came on stream.<\/p>\n
Mr Reid said the numbers being hospitalized with the virus was continuing to come down but there still remains \u201ctoo much heat\u201d on our hospital system.<\/p>\n
He said the number of Covid-19 cases in hospitals had reduced to 1,308, down from more than 2,000 last week but that the number is still 50 per cent higher than peak of 880 in April in first wave.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still at a very significant high base although trending thankfully in the right direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When it comes to intensive care units Mr Reid said the health service was still using its surge capacity and that 280 patients were receiving advanced respiratory support.<\/p>\n
He added that clinical care consultants were reporting that patients were getting sicker, remaining in ICU for longer periods and there were high mortality rates.<\/p>\n
Dr Colm Henry told the briefing that there had been more than 100,000 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland last month.<\/p>\n
It represents more than half the total number of cases of the virus since the pandemic began.<\/p>\n
But the HSE\u2019s chief clinical officer reported that the rate of virus was falling with the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population down 40 per cent in the past week.<\/p>\n
It now stands at 424, down from 674 last week.<\/p>\n
The five-day moving average has reduced 20 per cent from 1,383 to 1,121 in the past week.<\/p>\n
It is translating through to a lower number of cases in hospital.<\/p>\n
There is now an average of 68 hospital admissions per day.<\/p>\n